The press release cites Atlus' IPs as a primary driver of interest in Index, with those franchises as good fits for continued distribution for home consoles, adaptation for mobile devices, and even application in Sega's pachinko operation. For the full press release, click here.

The news comes by way of Gematsu, who translated the news from Japanese site Nikkei. Sega Sammy has issued a brief press release stating that the acquisition is not something they have announced. Index Corporation voluntarily put itself into a form of bankruptcy known as "rehabilitation." At the time this was reported in June, Index was in approximately ¥24.5 billion debt ($249 million).

According to Gematsu's translation, the deal is apparently worth ¥14 billion ($141.1 million) and will close in November. We reached out to Atlus USA who declined to comment at this time.

Our TakeThis news isn't a surprise given the results of preliminary bidding we reported on weeks ago. The question is what this means for the future of Atlus and it's incredibly important arm here in the United States.

Atlus USA is responsible for developing, localizing and/or publishing some of the most unique and interesting Japanese titles like the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, Etrian Odyssey series, and standalone titles like Dragons Crown and Catherine. The best possible scenario is that the new owner allows that to happen just as it always has.